The present study was conducted to determine the relative contribution of initial quality and compositional parameters to the rate of changes (RCTPC) in the content of total polar compounds (TPC), which is considered to be one of the most reliable indicators of heated oils quality, of olive oil during continuous heating at 180 ºC. The ratio between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids showed the highest relative contribution (44.86%) to the RCTPC. The content of total phenolic compounds indicated a considerable contribution (30.76%) to the RCTPC whereas the content of total tocopherols was found to be actually ineffective (0.01%). Peroxide value was another important parameter that showed a marked contribution (20.51%) in this regard. The contributions of acid value and initial TPC content to the RCTPC of olive oil were 3.85 and 0.01%, respectively.

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